Anti-Kremlin demonstrators plan to take to the streets of St Petersburg on Sunday, a day after a rally in Moscow ended in scuffles and arrests. The protesters, allied under the Other Russia coalition, say the Russian president is stifling democracy. During Saturday's march in the capital, 170 people were arrested, including activist Garry Kasparov. The former chess champion was freed several hours later after being fined $40 (£20) for public order offences. Organisers said that the tough reaction to the Moscow march would boost the turnout at the rally in Russia's second-largest city. "After what Moscow and Russian authorities are doing, I think far more people will come tomorrow," said Olga Kurnosova, the leader of Mr Kasparov's United Civil Front in St Petersburg. Organisers have yet to decide whether they will try to march down the city's main street. ... http://news.bbc.co.uk

A suicide bomber blew himself up next to several Afghan border policemen in eastern Afghanistan, leaving at least seven officers and one civilian dead, while six suspected Taliban were killed in the south, officials said.The explosion happened as the bomber tried to enter the border police base in Khost province on Saturday, said Gen. Qasim Kheil, a border police commander. Six officers also were wounded in the blast, he said.The attack happened as fighting between militants and foreign and Afghan forces appears to be intensifying after the usual winter lull.In the volatile south, U.S.-led coalition and Afghan troops clashed with suspected Taliban in Helmand province also on Saturday, a coalition statement said.Troops called in an airstrike on an observation site used by the Taliban, which left six militants dead, the statement said....http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/04/14/afghanistan.violence.ap/index.html?eref=rss_world

A video aired on German TV has shown an army recruit on firing practice being ordered to pretend he was in New York's Bronx facing hostile African Americans. In the grainy 90-second video, the instructor tells the soldier to swear as he fires his gun. US civil rights leader, Al Sharpton, said it was outrageous to depict blacks as "target practice". New York officials say they are saddened and frustrated that the Bronx district is depicted so negatively. "Clearly these folks don't know anything about African-Americans or the Bronx," said Bronx borough president Adolfo Carrion Jnr, who recently returned from a trip to Germany to promote tourism to the district. He has demanded an apology from the Germany military over the clip. This clown Al Sharpton has a bunch of stuff in his past he should be apologizing for also, but he don’t. However, he sure is quick to jump on others when they do something Politically Incorrect ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6556643.stm

Hundreds of demonstrators defied authorities Saturday by trying to stage an anti-government rally banned from a landmark downtown square, setting off sporadic clashes with police across Moscow and bringing a wave of arrests. Witnesses said Garry Kasparov, the former world chess champion who has emerged as the most prominent leader of the opposition alliance, was seized as he tried to lead a small group of demonstrators through lines of police ringing Pushkin Square. He was freed late Saturday after he was fined $38 for participating in the rally. A coalition of opposition groups organized the “Dissenters March” to protest the economic and social policies of President Vladimir Putin as well as a series of Kremlin actions that critics say has stripped Russians of many political rights. About 1,000 protesters took part in the rally, chanting slogans such as ”Russia without Putin,” “For free and fair elections,” and “For a different Russia,” ...http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/14/world/main2683858.shtml?source=RSSattr=World_2683858

Two brothers strapped with explosives blew themselves up near the U.S. consulate Saturday and Moroccan officials said they had discovered a broader suicide bombing conspiracy, stoking new fears of increased terrorism in this American-allied kingdom. Aside from the bombers killed, only one woman was injured, authorities said. Police arrested three people one wearing an explosive belt near the scene of the attack in an upscale neighborhood dotted with high rises and diplomatic missions, an Interior Ministry official said. Investigators found a second, undetonated explosives belt nearby, next to the four-star El Kandara Hotel, the official said on condition of anonymity, citing ministry policy. Both the unexploded belts appeared to match the remnants of belts worn by three men who blew themselves up Tuesday after fleeing a police raid on their hideout, the official said. ...http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=3042037

Local diners with adventurous palates have less than two months to try rattlesnake, alligator and other exotic meats. The restaurant Taboo by the Delta is closing its doors June 1 when its owner retires after 10 years in business. Along with gators and rattlesnake, Taboo served shark, frog legs and turtle. The name of the restaurant reflects the hidden allure of "things that are forbidden. Things that would hurt you," owner Jesse "Boo" Burkett said. "People just buy into it." ...http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3041937